Monster
by The Angel of London
Summary: Bella,abandoned by the Cullens, seals off her emotions. Cold and uncaring, she is taken to Italy - to the Volturi. She joins the guard and Alec is interested in her, despite protests. When the Cullens visit Volterra, what will happen? 'Monster-by Skillet' [ALMOST 5000 VIEWS! WOOHOOO!]
1. Monster

**Words: 703**

**Disclaimer: Obviously not mine (TTS, I mean).**

After his heartbreaking confession and sudden exit, I just felt numb. At least, at first I did. Minutes later, what had happened truly sunk in and I fell to the ground in silent tears. I curled up and ignored the wet feel of the mud against my bare arms and legs, simply drowning in my self-pity and misery.

The full moon shone upon me; how ironic that, hours earlier, I took it as a sign that my life was brightening up. Now it just seemed cruel. It mocked me, laughed at my hope.

Hope was for the weak, love was for the weak.

Light was fragile, yet darkness was strong.

Luckily, clouds soon quickly blocked my view of the round satellite. My mind felt somewhat better after ridding itself of seeing such a malevolent sight, yet I could not forget it.

Somehow, I stood. I gathered enough strength to get up and walk.

I walked aimlessly but internally, I was fighting a bitter war. My mind was trying and begging my heart to hate, to be angry. My heart was stubbornly stating it'll forgive and forget any misdeed Edward did.

Truthfully, I knew my mind was right. What he did was too bad to ever be forgiven.

And somehow, in the midst of that internal battle, my mind won, and I felt myself sealing off my positive emotions.

Yet I kept fury, hate and heartlessness intact, as well as a few other negative emotions. They were small and weak, after years of neglect, but I knew they quickly become the most powerful and dominant emotions in me rapidly.

Again, I cried. I leant on a nearby tree and slid down it, crumbling into a heap at the bottom. My eyes were dry, but they quickly moistened when it started raining. I lifted my face to meet the rain, letting my tears mix with the rain drops. Maybe then I could pretend I wasn't crying, even if for a minute.

Throughout the remainder of the night, I continually drifted in and out of unconsciousness, never fully awake when I did emerge from sleep, never fully aware of the darkness when I surrendered to it.

At dawn, after a thunderstorm and a whole night crumpled in the same uncomfortable position, I fell asleep, my past tears dry, their paths wiped off my cheeks.

###

Once again, I was met with the sight of the moon shining down onto my hidden form, yet I could see there was a light fog higher up in the trees. During the course of the day, the September wind had lightly blown the hundreds of falling leaves over me, covering me, protecting me from sight and the relentless shine of the Sun.

Instead of crying, as I'd been doing for the past day, I tried speaking, but my voice came out too croaky and I soon gave up. I crawled from under my leaf pile and tried kneeling, but my legs were far too weak for that, so I continued crawling, ignoring the intense stabs of pain I felt every time my palms of knees landed on a sharp twig or a resemblance of it.

Soon enough, the light fog became thicker and thicker, as well as it got closer to the ground, until I couldn't see a thing. Giving up, I decided to find somewhere to wait for it to blow over and then return to Forks. It would be a waste of time to attempt to return now, when I knew I'd just get even more lost.

Hours later, I was still waiting against a big boulder, and hopelessness clouded my judgement and I started crying again, for no apparent reason. Then I wondered about Charlie, my father, who probably forgot about me. I bitterly repeated his name in my head, getting angrier and angrier.

_He was meant to be my father, and look after me. Where is he now when I'm lost and angry and bitter? Most likely fishing with Harry Clearwater. _I ranted on about his uselessness for a while, until I felt others nearby, very nearby.

Three darkly cloaked figures emerged from the ever dense fog headed for me, pushing out my previous thoughts.

**Twilight fan-fiction; hey! Usually, I don't really like Twilight – at all, but curiosity drove me to read TTS fanfics and – excluding the majority, which had either horrible grammar or were written by 9 year olds – I loved some of them. **

**Well, I hope you like this story, but if you don't – hey! **

**By the way, this isn't going to be a 'Hey! I'll run to the Volturi, ask for death but accept their offer of joining them. Me and Alec will suddenly fall in love/like each other after talking a couple of times in just a day. And the female part of the Volturi guard won't be all squeal-y and fashion-y and friendly like Alice even though they're meant to be sadistic human killing vamps.'**

**Btw, I don't have anything against those stories, but they just seem unlike Meyer's portrayal of the Volturi. Then again, anything could happen in fanfiction – so keep on writing what YOU want. **


	2. Runaway

**Words: 1571**

**Runaway – Avril Lavigne**

The three figures gracefully approached me, their movement reminding me of how the Cullen's walked. Again, I felt no pain thinking their name, just unrestrained anger at them.

The vampire in the middle of the three lowered her hood, revealing a petite red-eyed blonde. She was very pale, and her eyes stood out, as red as blood. She started speaking, and her voice was sweet, with a threatening undertone, and her tone was unpleasant, businesslike.

"Isabella Swan, I presume," she began, continuing at my confirming nod, "we were ordered to take you to Volterra, Italy. I assume, knowing the Cullen's, you have heard of the-"

"The Volturi?" I interrupted her, not wanting to hear a lengthy speech about them, "the _royalty _of the vampire world. Obviously, you are not either Aro or Caius nor Marcus?" I stressed _royalty_, making it sound mocking, almost, and phrased the last sentence as a sort of rhetorical question.

Underneath the hood of the man to the blondes left, I could see a mouth smirking at my obvious hinted sarcasm. Somehow, I thought he was Alec. What part I could see of him looked younger than the other man, and I had some information on them, however little it was.

"Clearly not, I am Jane, one of the guard," she pointed to her left and right, "these are Alec and Demetri, two other members. As I stated previously, you were – shall we say – summoned to Volterra."

Seeing no problem in a trip to Italy, I simply shrugged and consented. "Alright, I suppose we're to leave now? No point in delaying the trip any longer."

My nonchalant agreement seemed to have slightly surprised the trio – probably thought I'd say no and try and return home, or agree and want to drag out my packing and goodbyes. Whatever they thought, they didn't speak it out loud.

The black haired guy I assumed to be Demetri spoke up; "We will escort you to your residence, and you have an hour. Whether you're ready or not, at that time we will leave – with you."

I shrugged and rolled my eyes, I meant now – as in right now – not in a couple of hours, I thought, and I told them so without much emotion. I just wanted to get this deal over with.

Instead of trying to convince me to pack and to get ready, they simply walked on, leading me to the edge of the woods. There, a BMW – or so I thought – was parked, with another vampire waiting for us. The car was big, big enough for five people and more.

Following their example, I entered the car and they drove off to the nearest airport, where we'd fly to Italy. I sat staring out the window, glaring at anyone who ruined my view of the green sights of Forks.

###

The next day I woke to darkness and rapid words. I was in Volterra, in the castle – that much I was aware of. I remember seeing magnificent pictures of the city after internet searches yesterday, back when I cared and loved the Cullens. It seemed like a lifetime ago, when, in fact, it was literally a couple of days back.

I opened my eyes and saw I was in an unfamiliar room. Two vampires were a few feet away from me, discussing something heatedly. I could make out the words 'Isabella', 'power', 'Aro' and 'hopeless'.

As quietly as I could, I sat up and muttered loud enough so they could hear me. "I hope this _Isabella _you speak of is not me. I'd hate to be spoken of in such a discriminatory way."

The two faceless vampires turned to face me, and I could hazily recollect Edward's descriptions of the Volturi guard. I guessed this was Felix and Alec – the latter I recognised as the last of the three who ventured into the foggy woods to collect me.

"If you may," I continued, standing and walking to them, "I'd like if one of you escorted me to Aro. I suppose there was a reason I was brought here."

Alec held out his arm, which meant I was to take it. Out of politeness I did, although I was tempted to anger him by refusing his offer. Alec guided me through hallways until we reached the main room.

I would've marvelled at its beauty, were it not for the fact that I had seen it before photographed – and there was another magnificent sight at the other end of said chamber.

Aro, Marcus and Caius stood there, in front of their respective wives, and ranked by the other members of the Volturi guard. Alec separated himself from me and followed Felix to their positions.

"Miss Swan, will you do me the honour of showing me your hand?"

Confused but intrigued nonetheless, I hesitantly stumbled over to him and he grabbed my warm hand in his stone cold ones.

He tensed, and I saw his eyes go white – not unlike Alice's when she was experiencing a vision. A few minutes later, he returned to normal and he had this look of curiosity in his face.

"Isabella, we – Caius, Marcus and I – have summoned you here because we see you have great potential. You, being a human, have great power. Think of how much greater it could be if you were like us. We have a proposition for you; join our guard and be stronger than you could ever think or die."

Honestly, I knew it would come to this. The Volturi harnessed powerful vampires, and I could guess I was one indeed. But I had already made my mind up.

"I accept your proposal, Master Aro."

###

Soon enough, my conversion was scheduled for midnight. Before then, Aro had tested my ability with Jane and Alec – both of whom had powers which affected your mental state, meaning I was alright. I could see disbelief in some of the guard members' eyes – they'd probably heard of my mushy, loving past with vampires and thought I'd be unconditionally loyal to them as their faithful pet.

Stupidity and naivety know no bounds.

I wasn't treated too well. I was just shown to my room and given instructions on how this whole place worked. It wasn't very cheerful but then again, neither was I.

As this girl, Chelsea, babbled on about rules and laws and such for after my conversion, I couldn't help but feel a strange pulling sensation in my chest. Suddenly, it stopped and Chelsea had a frustrated look on her face, as if she couldn't solve a puzzle.

"Hey, hey! You, Chelsea, right? I think I've got the rules, so that's all." I waved a hand in front of her annoyingly, hoping to get rid of her and I dismissed her rudely. "You can leave now, you know!"

With a disbelieving and angry huff, she gracefully left me in peace. Finally, I could sleep and delve into the darkness that was my subconscious. Although I did know I wouldn't appreciate my wake-up at all.

Hours later, I was right. I felt a slight shaking in my arm and ignored it. Then it became more obvious and then more so, until the person was practically shaking me around like a freakin' rag doll. I lazily opened my eyes and coldly stared at the man before me, his eyes glaring at me coldly, mirroring mine.

"Wake up, you have an hour until midnight. Aro told me to order you to dress 'comfortably'," he raised an eyebrow sadistically, "although I fail to see how sweats can ease the terrible pain that befalls you in the transformation. But to each their own," he finished with the same straight face throughout.

I sat up and headed to my wardrobe, grabbing the first jeans I saw and the first shirt and hoodie ensemble I laid eyes on. I undressed and put on my chosen clothes, ignoring the amused vampire behind me.

"Isabella, as much as I enjoy this entertaining and tempting strip show, we mustn't keep everyone waiting," I could see him smirk as I turned around, wearing just my jeans and my unbuttoned shirt. I could see he was amused at my carelessness, "and I know they'd be waiting long if we wanted to."

Ignoring his comments, I kept my mind blank thinking how, just a couple of days earlier; those comments would've gotten me to blush furiously and probably smile shyly. Then, I wondered how long it'd been since I smiled or laughed sincerely. Probably on my birthday.

"What day is it today?" I asked in a clipped tone, showing I wasn't really glad to be conversing. It was a need to know basis though, I needed to know.

"Well, it's the 16th and it's around eleven thirty."

I nodded curtly and we were on our way, the only noises in the silent hallways being our in-sync footsteps echoing off the marble walls.

We arrived at the same door I stood in front of before meeting everyone for the first time, and I knew I couldn't go back. But it wasn't like I wanted to. Immortality and power seemed tempting. And I knew very well this would last long – very long indeed.

And it was with cruel thoughts and an empty heart that I pushed open the doors and walked towards the end of my current life; and the start of a new and better one.

**I've been reading up on the Volturi guard vamps and I saw that Jane and Alec were probably converted when they were around 13 or so? I'll disregard that and say they were converted at 17, because Aro thought it too young for 13 year olds to be part of the guard, regardless of their abilities, so he looked after them until the day of their 17****th**** birthday. **


	3. Let's Kill Tonight

**Words: 1163**

**Let's Kill Tonight – Panic! At The Disco**

Once again, I stood in the main room, where I was to start a new life of pain and justice.

I was lead to the exact centre of the room and, without any words spoken, Aro signalled for whoever was behind me – I assumed it was Alec, as he's been behind me just seconds ago – to bite me and start the transformation.

Immediately, I felt the ice cold teeth pierce my warm neck and gasped. At first, it didn't hurt, it just felt ticklish, but the pain started gradually getting stronger.

My limbs began burning, like when you accidently turn the hot water up too much in the shower, and then my torso began to burn as well. Only my head remained virtually unharmed, which I felt made it worse.

The burning got to a point that I was screaming bloody murder, but no one would react. The guard and the three leaders stood there, watching me and waiting.

The second day arrived and I was almost alone. There was always _someone_ sitting or standing by me, watching me and guarding me. I wanted to scream out at them, for causing me this, but I couldn't. The fire wasn't hot anymore, it was freezing – it'd gotten to such a high temperature that it felt cold. And it made it more painful.

At last, the three days ended, and I could notice how quickly the pain decreased and how I started to move my body around, as well as open my eyes and mouth. Soon enough, the transformation was done, and I was taken to a mirror to inspect my new self.

Looking at my reflection, I found little to no difference in my physical self. I was paler and my eyes were ruby red. But my features were the same, just sharpened and edited to look a smidge better. My hair looked the same, just a bit smoother and a shade darker – changes which were barely noticeable. All in all, I wasn't really impressed by my looks, but I let it slide.

"How was it?" I heard someone ask, "You were silent all the time."

What? I couldn't have been; I was shouting like mad, I was so sure of it.

"I- I was shouting." My voice was different, just slightly higher. "I just felt pain."

Jane urged me to continue, her voice indifferent and her face stone straight.

"And the burning; it was so hot that- that it was cold, freezing even. It burnt so much; it froze me on the inside. I could feel the fire in my blood, but the ice in my organs – especially my heart. I was screaming and shouting, but no one listened. I was stone still, like I couldn't move at all. My eyes were shut, yet just by listening I could tell I was mostly alone, with just one person. I could smell if they were hungry and I noticed how one scent was constantly returning every two or three shifts."

I ended my short speech abruptly and stared at the blonde expectantly, as if expecting her to do something. Instead of leading me out, she glared back at me and called for Aro. The named appeared in minutes with a large grin/scowl of sorts.

"Isabella Swan, or shall I say _Isabella Volturi_," he greeted me with a glint in his eye, "I believe you are feeling well enough?" He inquired politely, not really caring, just being formal.

Somehow, I just knew what he wanted me to do; he wanted me to show him my power. Overconfident in my ability, I stretched out my hand to him and he grabbed it: nothing.

Proud, I gestured for him to hold Jane's hand, to see if he could read her. Quickly, I concentrated on the shield, imagining it as a large fence. I pictured the outside power as a wolf and the people inside my fence as the defenceless sheep. I built a larger fence to cover Jane. And, when Aro failed to read her mind, I shrunk it to only defend me.

"Impressive, Isabella, for your first projection," Aro nodded stiffly, "I suppose you must be feeling extremely thirsty – after all, you haven't been fed yet, and you just exerted a tremendous amount of power, it must've tired you."

Suddenly, I realised I actually did feel thirsty. So much my throat was dry and it was actually painful. And that was before straining to project my shield, so now it was doubled.

"This thirst," I whispered hoarsely, "the pain, does it go after your first feed? Or will it hurt like this every time I am thirsty?" As the head of the Volturi pondered over my questions, I saw Jane exit the room out of the corner of my eyes, a slight sneer directed at me.

"Fortunately, the pain dulls considerably. You see your eyes, Isabella? They're crimson, but when we're thirsty, they're black – as you already know," Aro added the last bit once he saw me scowl, "but when you have fed excessively, they will lighten. Instead of this crimson colour, they will be ruby, a shade lighter. And feeding excessively isn't good; on the contrary, it is bad. Your movements will become sluggish and slow."

Nodding, I pretended to not have paid attention to anything he said, but internally I was putting this newfound knowledge away for future reference. I'd always thought vampires could not _drink too much_.

"Brilliant," I yawned sarcastically, "when do I hunt?"

"Now, please wait one second whilst I call for your guard and mentor." He disappeared and I just stared at the walls blankly as I waited for them to return. "Isabella, Alec and Demetri will be two of your guards."

I barely acknowledged them with a stiff nod, and they did the same, although their posture was more relaxed. It seemed I was still not influential enough to be greeted formally, but, as long as they didn't bother me, I wouldn't care.

The two of them led me outside, into the city of Volterra. We entered an alley after walking in the shadows, and they opened a stone door, one which blended in perfectly with the walls it was next to. We went in, albeit I was slightly hesitant at the lack of light inside, and Demetri closed the door behind me.

Immediately, the light flickered on. It was very dim, so much so, a human wouldn't see more than blurry shapes. I, however, could see perfectly enough, and I saw around a dozen or more human, mingling and chatting, with no idea about who'd entered the room. I smiled at the thought of blood, and my throat seemed to burn in anticipation.

I looked at Demetri, then Alec, and they nodded, signalling I was allowed to feed freely on them.

"It's soundproof, so knock yourself out. But leave some for us."

Before he finished talking, I was halfway to the closest human, and then I bit him.

**A huge delay. I won't tell you why, they're stupid, yet true, excuses. Just enjoy the update, and I'll continue soon – I'm on a roll today! **

**About my HP fan-fic '**_**PAST PRESENT FUTURE'**_**: I've hit a roadblock, and have no idea how to continue it. So, if you're really bored, nice or both; could you give me ideas or maybe write a short section for a chapter? I need to get them back to England after being in Spain (read the story). Thanks. **


	4. Franklin

**Words: 1265**

**Franklin – by Paramore**

_Half a century later._

The shape ducked into an alley to the left, so I went after it, silently. I knew it would look back; to see if I was following, so I jumped over it just as it looked back. With a loud crash, I barged into it, sending it flying to the wall. While it was disoriented, I grabbed the opportunity with both hands and extracted what was needed.

One vial of venom, a hand and some hair later, and its pieces lay scattered near a growing bonfire. Whether it would reassemble in time to escape, I doubted, but it didn't matter any longer. I had what was needed, and it was safe. I would be rewarded for this, and Felix would eat his words once again.

The streets of Madrid were bright and busy, the Spanish chatter everywhere. Teenagers hung out with friends until nightfall, and the cars always seemed to have the same radio station on. The airport seemed like culture central, with so many different languages floating around.

"... Me gustaría facturar estas dos maletas."

"Por supuesto, señora, ¿su pasaporte?"

"Ah, aquí esta."

"… Muy bien, esta todo en orden."

By dawn, I was on the plane to Volterra, Italy. I feigned sleep for the entire flight, wishing again to be able to sleep and speed up time. Sometimes, it passed painfully slow, like a slug passing through thick, murky mud.

"Miss Isabella, welcome home."

"Aro, Caius, Marcus." I greeted the three before extracting the bag from my breast pocket. Then, I walked up to them and handed each of them one of the items recovered. "The vial of venom," the small bottle was placed in Aro's frozen hands. "The body part," I gave the hand to Caius, who looked at it in disinterest. "And the hair," I finished, with a slightly confused tone, as I handed the pouch of hair to Marcus, whose eyes stared at the green pouch with curiosity.

"Well done, my dear Isabella. It seems that, once again, you have proven your usefulness and worth to us." He paused, and I flinched slightly as I realised what he was about to say. "Is now the right time to inquire as to why you have joined us?"

"Apologies, Aro, but it is not yet time. Maybe in the future I will tell all." And with that, I turned on my heel and walked out of the hall, the doors flying shut behind me.

"Isabella, Isabella!" Felix called from somewhere, probably hiding. "How did it go?" He appeared in front of me, smug and overconfident. For years, he has been convinced I will one day slip up, ruining my perfect streak of missions.

"Mission accomplished." I pushed him out of the way and ignored his attempts at a comeback. It was always the same, and I always won. I was one of the best, because I never let myself get close. My emotions were as shut off now as they were fifty years ago. I called this city home, but it wasn't really. It was just my bed, and my office.

I arrived at my room thirsty and my eyes pitch black, so I walked on to the basement. We usually kept our food there, just in case anyone was hungry out of scheduled hours. I headed for the woman hidden in the corner, cowering with her eyes shut. "Goodbye," I snarled at her, and I drained her silently, leaving no chance for any screams.

"...Prepare accommodation for our guests, as well as some food, in case they were to need it."

"Yes Aro," Heidi scurried off, passing by me, and disappeared behind a door.

"What guests?" I asked, "I thought our only guests were the humans we feed on."

"Oh no, dear Isabella," Aro responded, "there are times when old friends come to visit us. We take great joy in having them here, so, with guests, we are perfect hosts throughout their stay."

I'd never noticed, "Who are they?" I demanded, both hoping and not that it was that family of golden eyed vampires. It was stupid, so I was relieved to hear Aro's response;

"The Denali's," he looked at me for a minute, "I think you knew of them. The Cullen's and The Denali's are very close. But no, the Cullen's aren't visiting as of now."

"I had heard of them, yes. They are from Alaska, and Eleazar was once in your guard."

"Indeed, decades ago; when war was raging across the world. He was one of my secret weapons. When we came across an opposing coven, he sensed their abilities, and those with useful ones we offered a chance to survive and stay with us. Pity they didn't."

I faintly agreed, before taking my leave back to my dormitory. I felt strangely disappointed at hearing the Cullen's weren't visiting. I wanted them to see me now – so they know I'm stronger than them, and much better off without them.

I was. I was. I was. I was. I was.

The past fifty years prove it. I haven't failed one mission, even the one when I had to track down a crazed vampire killing off hundreds of humans in daylight – albeit, that one was a nightmare to find and scarily fast and quiet, even for me. I was strong and I'm not weak. I don't give in to temptation – there is no temptation. The golden eyed are weak, too weak to survive _and _prosper, so they try to get by in the worst possible way.

I didn't belong with them, because I was human and weak, like them. But I wasn't meant to stay that way. I changed, in every way, and I'm the best I can be.

The Denalis arrived too soon, and I was soon called to show them to their rooms. Why they needed beds, I didn't wish to know, but I agreed and was leading the quintet to their rooms. "Isabella Volturi? I'm just informing you that our last member is arriving late, he's probably almost landing."

I raised an eyebrow, sure they were only five, but I shrugged and nodded, heading to the airport to pick the last vampire up, as I'm sure I was going to be told to do anyway.

I was tossed keys by a smug Felix, who was surely glad I was made to do common errands as well as important missions. He probably thought I felt insignificant, but I wouldn't care what I did. If I was told to, I did it, and that was that. I didn't kick up a fuss like he'd done a couple of times, but if I didn't like it, I still did it.

I raised an eyebrow and scoffed at his attempt to annoy me by giving me keys to a Mini, it was a car which I needed for ten minutes maximum, so it didn't irk me [but I made sure I'd make him suffer for his useless attempts, I wasn't about to let his smug grin slide as well].

While I waited for his plane to land and for the last of the Denali clan to arrive, I looked around at shops I had been in hundreds of times before. Hearing the passengers swarm out rapidly, I looked for signs of a very pale and golden eyed person. It was a small airport, as Volterra wasn't exactly a large metropolitan city, so I soon found the person I needed to find. And, to my dismay, I recognised him as if I'd last seen him yesterday.

**So who could it be? Keep in mind that it doesn't necessarily have to have been a vampire when Bella was human. DUN DUN DUN.**

**And, sorry for the LARGE delay, but I have no proper excuse. I'll just upload and hope it's not too bad, this chapter, at least. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Words: 1396**

**Insomnia – by The Veronicas**

"Isabella Marie Swan," she grinned, supposedly glad to see me. "It's been a long time."

"Angela," I muttered, "this is new, and unexpected."

Her amber eyes lightened up, "I'd surely hope so. It's been fifty years, but you haven't changed a bit."

I shrugged at her, answering the unspoken question vaguely, "it happens, I guess. You, however, look older..."

"Oh yes! I'll tell you later, once we meet up with the others. How are we getting-?" She stopped at the Mini I'd driven to the airport and raised an eyebrow at me. "A mini?" I ignored her and got in.

"What's your relationship with the Volturi then?" She slid in the car and shut the door carefully, not putting on the seatbelt.

"I work for them."

"Really? That's cool. Since when?"

"Since I left; well, soon after."

"Oh, interesting."

"Indeed," I said curtly, ending the inane small talk. The rest of the short drive was spent in silence, and I went slightly over the speed limit, eager to get there as soon as possible.

Waiting by the door, under the shade, was Jane. I could make out the shape of Alec's body further in the shadows, but I ignored it. I simply left Angela to Jane and walked inside, straight to Aro, where I announced I was back.

In a large group, the already present Denali's approached the main doors as Angela entered the large room. They greeted each other as if they hadn't seen one another for years or decades, instead of a few hours.

I caught the eye of Dimitri, who grinned at me. I rolled my eyes at him and looked away. However, as annoying as he was, I saw Angela and Tanya were coming towards me, so I subtly inched my way towards Dimitri – he was definitely the lesser of the two evils.

"How was the reunion?" He smirked tauntingly.

"You're an idiot, you know?"

"I know."

There was a short silence while he waited for her to talk.

"There was no reunion, and I have no desire to reconcile with her, regardless of the fact that we were 'good friends', as you'd call it." I told him truthfully, shifting my weight almost unconsciously.

"I'd say 'best friends', not 'good'. Or so I've been told." Dimitri let out, before groaning, "dammit", under his breath.

I rounded on him, scowling darkly, "what do you mean you've been told? What have you done?" When he hesitated, I kicked him in the stomach and he flew against the wall.

"I forgot about your short temper. Shit."

"I'm waiting," I pulled him up by his neck, ignoring how the Denali's were watching me and how, I guessed, Aro was looking slightly amused.

"Well, a couple – okay, almost a decade ago I went to Forks. I was curious about you, so I went there and asked around _subtly _about you. I met this old guy, Newton, who was all obsessed with you and this other girl, Jessica, who kind of badmouthed you a bit. And other people and I saw your father's grave, and other stuff. Please don't kill me."

I let him go suddenly and laughed, "after years and years he's still hung up over me. Stupid boy. Jessica was just jealous. Bitch." I muttered things like that for a couple of minutes, while Dimitri tried to escape me. "You! Subtle? Any less subtle and you're a fluorescently coloured elephant."

"Newton's _still _infatuated with you?!" A loud laugh originated from Angela, who found that extremely funny.

I ran to her and stared her down, my extra inches being an advantage over her. "Shut up." I fought the urge to harm her and went to my quarters.

"Stupid 'vegetarians'."

"So I told Tanya I didn't believe her, but she insisted on it. So I gave up and asked her who it was, because, she always liked Edward, you know, and guess what she said?" Angela chattered happily, pausing in her _interesting _tale so I could ask her.

"What?" I half groaned in exasperation, wishing, not for the first nor last time, I could just fall asleep to avoid her incessant talking.

"She said it was EDWARD!" She screamed the name with a squeal, waiting for my reaction.

Not showing I'd reacted the slightest bit to that damned name, I rolled over in my bed so I was facing her, "Hooray. I'll just go over to them and give them a 'Congrats' and a box of chocolates, shall I?"

She looked at me weirdly for a second before starting up again, "so I didn't believe her – it was only a few years after you, well, left," she gave me a false sympathetic look, "but when he visited the next month they were all lovey-dovey and I could almost see the attraction between the two."

"Uhh," I buried my face in my pillow, hoping to suffocate and escape her gossip.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She winced, "I should've guessed hearing this would be hard for you still, even after all this time."

That got a reaction out of me. "No! Are you joking? I'm fine with it; I just don't particularly care."

Doubtful of my words, she spoke cheerily, "well, that's good. He's visiting in a few days anyways."

I fell off my bed with a curse. I didn't need this.

"Fuck."

"Are you sure?"

"Angela, if you don't shut the hell up right now, I swear I'll pull your legs out and set them on fire. And I'm not joking." I glared at her, angry at her unnecessary worry, as well as her presence. It was metaphorically killing me to be nice to our guests. But Aro insisted, as he knew how cold – or rude – I could be.

As we, again, all waited in the main room for our next guest, I slunk back into the shadows avoiding bumping into Alec, who was doing the same. This time Dimitri had gone to the airport, and I futilely hoped he wouldn't start saying lies about me missing the damn boy.

"He probably will say something embarrassing." Alec said with a straight face.

"Yeah, thank you Alec." I retorted rudely, dreading it.

"Just ignore him, he'll give up soon enough."

"I know."

I felt disgusted as they all clamoured around the Cullen, greeting him as if it'd been decades – like they had with Angela. Would I have been like that if I were made part of the Cullen family? Somehow, the heartbreak seemed worth avoiding that fate. And for that, I was immensely glad.

"Edward Cullen," Aro spoke up when they quietened down, "welcome. Any news from Carlisle and the others?"

The Cullen stepped forward, "yes. He sends his regards and he hopes to visit in the next decade, or sooner. The others are fine as well."

"Excellent," his eyes glinted with something. Edward frowned at him and I suddenly was curious but worried as his amber eyes flickered to me.

"My new member of the guard," he declared as I emerged from the shadows, "Isabella Swan-Volturi. A formidable member, and valuable."

I nodded at Edward as in greeting, and looked to Aro for instructions, although I knew what I had to do. "Lead him to his quarters; next to the Denali's."

"This way." I called to Edward, who walked next to me.

I could feel him trying to talk, but he shut his mouth every time. I let myself grin at his lack of speech my presence caused, but I knew it wouldn't last.

"B- Bella?" He finally stammered as I lead him through the hallways. It was a fault of Aro's to have designed the guest quarters so far away from the main room. The only upside was that the guards quarters were also far from the guests'.

"I'd rather Isabella, or Miss Volturi."

"Bella," he insisted, "why are you here?"

I sighed, "Because I decided to take a walk around Volterra while on holiday here half a century ago but I got lost and bitten, suddenly finding myself imprisoned in this large castle-like building."

Naturally, and annoyingly, he took me seriously, so, before he could start saying crap about saving me, we arrived at his room. Without another word, just a frightening glare, I ran to my own room, glad I had privacy and quiet.

"Isabella?" Chelsea knocked at the door, "Aro wishes to see you."

**I fear she seems not emotionless enough. The anger is one thing, because Edward, I guess, has to provoke some reaction from her. Anger seems logical to me, at least. **

**Short, long overdue, and not really interesting. Angela will have a part to play, but I'm unsure whether it'll be a large or minor part. We'll see.**

**Edward... Well, I'll try and make it as interesting as possible, shall I? **

**Chapter title has got nothing to go with the chapter itself, it was just the song I was listening to while writing this author's note. [But Bella also talks about wanting to sleep, so I'll use that as another excuse. HeeHee.]**


End file.
